O.C. Petting Zoo Might Get the Gate

The Jones Mini-Farm, a San Juan Capistrano institution and link to Orange County’s past, is for sale. For the $3-million asking price, the buyer gets 1.4 acres, a home more than a century old, a miniature train and 200 child-friendly animals.

And because there is no requirement to keep the rabbits, emus, guinea pigs, goats and horses, the sale of Gil and Millie Jones’ petting zoo may mark the end of an era in Orange County, as did the demise of drive-in movie theaters and the corner drugstore soda fountain.

The Joneses’ decision to sell the property across the street from the train depot in San Juan Capistrano’s historic downtown district didn’t come easily. After more than two decades, the enterprise had begun to turn a profit, an entertainment anachronism in a fast-paced world of video games and skateboard parks.

But Jones, 71, said recent health problems, liability insurance costs and the animals’ need for constant attention have forced him to sell.

“The people have sustained us for so long,” he said. “We feel like we’re betraying their trust by selling. But 23 years is a long time and it’s time for us to go.”

Jones would prefer to sell to someone who will continue operating the petting zoo, but he won’t make that a prerequisite.

“It’s a good investment,” said Jones of the business, which he said had begun making $60,000 to $70,000 a year. “I’ve established a pretty good clientele over the years. But if the new owner wants to do something else with the property, I can’t stop them.”

Over the last few years, Jones’ petting zoo has averaged about 150,000 customers annually, ranging from schoolchildren on field trips to European tourists and the occasional celebrity. Former boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and actor Edward James Olmos, who have relatives in the area, are frequent customers.

“I think there will be a huge void in the community if this place closes,” he said. “What on earth are all those mothers with 3-and 4-year-olds going to do? The city has no after-school programs for preschoolers.”

When Jones bought the property on the edge of Los Rios Historic District in 1980, it was historic but unsightly. “Basically, it was a junkyard,” he said. “ ‘Decrepit’ is a nice word.”

The farm was once part of a 2,500-acre Mexican rancho. The Olivares home in front of the property was 100 years old and needed plenty of work. Once Jones refurbished it and the small house he shares with his wife, he placed the property on National Register of Historic Houses. In the late 1980s, he began offering pony rides. In 1990, he opened the petting zoo.

If the mini-farm closes, Mike Isacs of Rancho Santa Margarita isn’t sure what he will tell his 3-year-old son, Michael, who has spent many afternoons there riding ponies and playing with rabbits and guinea pigs.

“I heard before I moved out here that Orange County actually used to have some oranges,” Isacs said. “But I don’t know where they’ve all gone to. Everything’s changing so much. It’s a shame. There’s not much left of the past anymore.”